Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-01-22
MosRY AND HIS CAVALRY.
Military Value of n Partisan Command
er's work-A Fascinating Life.

Military Value of Partisan Command
er's work-A Fascinating Life.
My purpose was to weaken the armies
invading Virginia by harassing their
rear. AS line is only as strong as its
weakest point, it was necessary for it to
be stronger than was at every point in
order to resist my attacks. 1t is easy,
therefore, to see the great results that
may be accomplished by small body
of cavalry moving rapidly from point to
point ON the communications Of an army.
To destroy supply trains, to break up
the means of conveying intelligence, and
thus isolating an army from its base, as
well as its different corps from each
other, to confuse their plans by capturing
dispatches, are the objects of partisan
war. 1t is just as legitimate to fight an
enemy in the rear as in the front. The
only difference is in the danger. Now,
to prevent all these things from being
done, heavy detachments must be made
to guard against them. The military
value of a partisan's work is not meas
ured by the amount of property de-
stroyed, or the number Of men killed or
captured, but by the number he keeps
watching. Every soldier withdrawn
from the front to guard the rear Of an
army is SO much taken from its fighting
strength. (,
endeavored, as far as / was able, to
diminish this aggressive power of the
army Of the Potomac by compelling it
to keep large force on the defensive.
| assailed its rear, for there was its most
vulnerable point. My men had no
camps If they had gone into camp
they would soon have all been captured.
They would scatter for safety and
gather at my call, like the children Of
the Mist. A blow would be struck at a
weak or unguarded point and then
quick retreat. The alarm would spread
through the sleeping camp, the long roll
would be beaten or the bugles would
sound to horse, there would be mount
ing in hot haste and rapid pursuit.
But the partisans generally got off with
their prey. There pursuers were strik-
ing at an invisible foe. l often sent
small squads at night to attack and run
in the pickets along line of several
miles. OF course these alarms were
very annoying, for no human being
knows how sweet sleep is but soldier.
wanted to use and consume the north
ern cavalry in hard work. have often
thought that their fierce hostility to me
was more on account of the sleep I
made them lose than the number we
killed and captured.
1t has always been wonder with
people how l managed to collect my
men after dispensing them. The true
secret was that it was fascinating life
and its attractions far more than coun-
terbalanced its hardships and dangers.
They had no camp duty to do, which,
however necessary, is disgusting to sol
diers of high spirit. To put them to
such routine work is pretty much like
hitching a race horse to pillow. Many
expeditions were undertaken and traps
laid to capture us, but all failed and
, my command continued to grow and
} flourish until the final scene at Apo
mattox. 1t had just reached its highest
point of efficiency when the time came
to surrender. -Co,. John s. Mosby in
New York Mercury.